Kabawat comes from Syria's Christian minority and was long critical of former leader Bashar al-Assad – despite the dangers it entailed. She has also been active in a committee that led a national conference in Syria about the country's future.
The election may indicate that interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa is keeping earlier promises to include women in the future social structure in Syria, as well as to protect religious freedom and minority groups.
The temporary Foreign Minister Assaad al-Shaibani is formally appointed to the post, as is Defense Minister Mourhaf Abu Qasra. The former intelligence chief Anas Khattab becomes Interior Minister.
Interim President al-Sharaa, who led the uprising against the al-Assad regime last autumn, has previously said that elections should be able to be held within four to five years.
al-Sharaa led the Islamist rebel group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in the uprising against the Damascus regime. He was then known by his war name Abu Mohammad al-Julani. HTS, in turn, was formed from the feared al-Nusra front – with links to the terrorist network al-Qaida – which fought in the Syrian civil war.
